Covid-19 & Women: your weekly update Nov 08 - Nov 12
Hello! We hope this finds you safe and well. Welcome to the latest edition of our Covid newsletter, bringing you the most up-to-date news on gender, the economy and Covid-19.
In 2021, we hope to continue bringing you relevant news on the gendered effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. If you like what we are bringing you, forward this email to a friend or two so they can sign up here.
Before we get started, we have some exciting news to share...
The Women's Budget Group is hiring, spread the word!
Hours: 22.5 – 30 hours per week worked over a minimum of 3 days Salary: £26,780.00 pro rata (£16,068 – £21,424 depending on hours) Deadline: Monday 22nd November 9am
This is a fantastic role for anyone looking to gain experience in a fast-paced policy environment, working closely with a small, friendly team. There is scope to shape the role to your interests, as well as ongoing training and development opportunities.
If you would like us to include any news, publications, research projects or events in this newsletter, please reply to this email!
Keep reading for more news on the gendered and economic impacts of the pandemic in the UK and beyond. Scroll down to the bottom to catch upcoming events on gender, the economy and Covid-19.
Covid-19: The latest
Coronavirus endangers EU’s ‘fragile gains’ on gender equality
A new report by the European Institute of Gender Equality explores the EU's progress on gender equality since 2019 and the impact of the pandemic in reversing earlier gains, highlighting how the pandemic has made women economically worse off than men.
The Impact of Covid-19 on Young Women's Employment, Financial Security and Mental Health Engender and Close the Gap explore the impact of the pandemic on young women in Scotland, exploring issues relating to financial security, physical and mental health, using data from a joint survey developed by leading women's organisations, including WBG. You can access the report and read more here.
Why rethinking care work is crucial for a gender inclusive recovery The World Economic Forum have recently published an article detailing the impact of the pandemic on women, from employment to unpaid care, urging governments to adopt gender-responsive policies in response to the crisis, to help mitigate to help disproportionate socioeconomic impact of the pandemic on women.
Supporting community health workers in fragile settings requires a gendered approach
Community health workers are vital to providing services to marginalised communities in low-and-middle income countries. Workers are often women from a lower socioeconomic status, increasingly vulnerable to the pressures facing the health sector, and often overlooked by policymakers. This short article by Gender and Covid-19 highlights the importance of developing a gender-responsive approach to supporting community health workers.
Covid lessons cast light on agile working and women’s careers A new article in the Irish Times explores the impact of the pandemic on women, in particular the impact of lockdowns in having removed stigma from working from home and the implications this has for gender equality.
Read the initial response of our Director, Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson, on the Spending Review and 2021 Autumn Budget announcements this week: "Papering over the cracks rather than the transformative rebuilding that is needed".
We published our pre-budget briefings ahead of the Spending Review and Autumn Budget 2021, which includes analysis of the impact of the pandemic on women in areas such as health, employment, childcare. You can read more and access the briefings here.
For more updates on gender and the economy, and our non-Covid work, you can visit our website or subscribe to our main newsletter here.
Interested in learning more about the Gender Pay Gap? Want to find out how data is used to calculate the Gender Pay Gap and have a go at finding the data for your local area? If the answer is yes, sign up to our latest Local Data Project workshop! You can find out more and sign up here.
Tuesday 16th November | 10:00 - 12:00pm | via Remo
This event, held jointly by New Economics Foundation, the Women’s Budget Group and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, will examine what we can learn from international efforts to improve access to quality social care. You can find out more and register here.
The International Public Policy Observatory in partnership with Pivotal Public Policy Forum will hold an online roundtable to examine policy interventions necessary to foster a gender-based approach to economic recovery from COVID-19. Amongst other issues, the event will consider policy actions around care and other barriers to women re-entering and remaining in the labour market post-COVID-19.
The Women’s Budget Group scrutinises government policy from a gender perspective. We are a network of leading feminist economists, researchers, policy experts and campaigners committed to achieving a more gender equal future. We have worked towards this since 1989.
